The UK Government has today announced its support for a third runway at Heathrow, confirming the unanimous view of the Airports Commission which reported last year.

The decision comes after a year in which the Government has conducted further environmental appraisals. These confirm that a new runway at Heathrow is deliverable within existing air quality limits. The expansion will also be accompanied by raft of legally binding environmental restrictions and with an extensive package of measures for compensation and mitigation to protect those communities most closely affected.

The next stage is that the Government will publish a draft National Policy Statement (NPS), this is a necessary step before the scheme can proceed to a full planning enquiry, and will be subject to year-long public consultation. It is hoped the runway will be operational in 2025.

Frontier Economics has been working with Heathrow on this subject for the last five years. Frontier has helped to quantify the national and regional economic benefits of long haul connectivity arising from the expansion as well as the benefits to consumers in terms of helping to create a more competitive airline market.

For further reading of the government’s decision, Dan Elliott, Director of Frontier’s Aviation practice, has today published a new bulletin exploring the issues relating to the decision, and the challenges that still lie ahead.